The American Opportunity Tax Credit is a partially refundable tax credit first detailed in Section 1004 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 .
39-591: The act specifies: The act directs several Treasury studies: Originally proposed by President Barack Obama to help students and families pay for post-secondary education , the proposal called for a $ 4000 credit in exchange for 100 hours of community service . The stated goal of the credit was to, "cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university and make community college tuition completely free for most students." On January 6, 2009, Congressman Chaka Fattah introduced H.R.106, The American Opportunity Tax Credit Act of 2009. In brief,
78-655: A bill that passed the House on July 24, 2014, would amend the Internal Revenue Code to consolidate several different education tax incentives into an expanded American Opportunity Tax Credit. The American Opportunity Tax Credit, under this legislation, would provide a maximum credit of $ 2,500. United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury ( USDT ) is
117-411: A box filled with U.S. currency, including a number of thousand-dollar bills, and reported it to Secretary Spinner. U.S. President Abraham Lincoln subsequently honored her with a commendation for her actions, and the federal government rewarded her with an appointment for life as a messenger with its Department of Issues. The U.S. Congress transferred several agencies that had previously been under
156-617: The Bank of the United States , which acted as the government's fiscal agent . The Department of Treasury believes their seal was created by Francis Hopkinson , the treasurer of loans. He submitted bills to Congress in 1780 that authorized the design of department seals, including a seal for the Board of Treasury. While it is not certain that Hopkinson designed the seal, it closely resembles others he created. In 1861, Sophia Holmes became
195-695: The Department of Justice as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE). The regulatory and tax collection functions of ATF related to legitimate traffic in alcohol and tobacco remained with the treasury at its new Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). Effective March 1, 2003, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center , the United States Customs Service , and
234-530: The Internal Revenue Service ; manages U.S. government debt instruments ; licenses and supervises banks and thrift institutions ; and advises the legislative and executive branches on matters of fiscal policy . The department is administered by the secretary of the treasury , who is a member of the Cabinet . The treasurer of the United States has limited statutory duties, but advises
273-896: The Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds, and as U.S. Governor of the International Monetary Fund , the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development , the Inter-American Development Bank , the Asian Development Bank , and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development . The secretary along with the treasurer of the United States must sign Federal Reserve notes before they can become legal tender . The secretary also manages
312-657: The United States Emergency Economic Stabilization fund . The secretary of the treasury is a Level I position in the Executive Schedule , thus earning the salary prescribed for that level ( US$ 246,400, as of January 2024). The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury , and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of
351-529: The United States Secret Service were transferred to the newly created Department of Homeland Security ("DHS") . In 2020, the Treasury suffered a data breach following a cyberattack likely conducted by a nation state adversary , possibly Russia. This was in fact the first detected case of the much wider 2020 United States federal government data breach , which involved at least eight federal departments. The basic functions of
390-493: The national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States , where it serves as an executive department . The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the U.S. Mint . These two agencies are responsible for printing all paper currency and minting coins , while the treasury executes currency circulation in the domestic fiscal system. It collects all federal taxes through
429-746: The obverse of the ten-dollar bill , while the Treasury Building in Washington, D.C. is depicted on the reverse . The history of the Department of the Treasury began in the turmoil of the American Revolution , when the Continental Congress at Philadelphia deliberated the crucial issue of financing a war of independence against Great Britain . The Congress had no power to levy and collect taxes, nor
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#1732772905447468-486: The ratification of the Constitution. Hamilton's financial and managerial acumen made him a logical choice for addressing the problem of the new nation's heavy war debt . His first official act as secretary was to submit a report to Congress in which he laid the foundation for the nation's financial health. To the surprise of many legislators, he insisted upon federal assumption and dollar-for-dollar repayment of
507-688: The Department of the Treasury include: With respect to the estimation of revenues for the executive branch , Treasury serves a purpose parallel to that of the Office of Management and Budget for the estimation of spending for the executive branch, the Joint Committee on Taxation for the estimation of revenues for Congress, and the Congressional Budget Office for the estimation of spending for Congress. From 1830 until 1901, responsibility for overseeing weights and measures
546-469: The Secretary on various matters such as coinage and currency production. Signatures of both officials appear on all Federal Reserve notes . The department was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue . The first secretary of the treasury was Alexander Hamilton , who was sworn into office on September 11, 1789. Hamilton was appointed by President George Washington on
585-659: The United States . The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters pertaining to economic and fiscal policy. The secretary is, by custom, a member of the president's cabinet and, by law, a member of the National Security Council , and fifth in the U.S. presidential line of succession . Under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution ,
624-408: The United States . The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters pertaining to economic and fiscal policy. The secretary is, by custom, a member of the president's cabinet and, by law, a member of the National Security Council . Under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution , the officeholder is nominated by
663-668: The aegis of the Treasury Department to other departments as a consequence of the September 11 attacks . Effective January 24, 2003, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), which had been a bureau of the department since 1972, was extensively reorganized under the provisions of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 . The law enforcement functions of ATF, including the regulation of legitimate traffic in firearms and explosives , were transferred to
702-532: The beginning of government under the U.S. Constitution . On September 2, 1789, Congress created a permanent institution for the management of government finances: Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That there shall be a Department of Treasury, in which shall be the following officers, namely: a Secretary of the Treasury, to be deemed head of
741-467: The country's $ 75 million debt in order to revitalize the public credit : "[T]he debt of the United States was the price of liberty. The faith of America has been repeatedly pledged for it, and with solemnities that give peculiar force to the obligation." Hamilton foresaw the development of industry and trade in the United States, suggesting that government revenues be based upon customs duties . His sound financial policies also inspired investment in
780-543: The currency. On July 29, 1775, the Second Continental Congress assigned the responsibility for the administration of the revolutionary government's finances to joint Continental treasurers George Clymer and Michael Hillegas . Congress stipulated that each of the colonies contribute to the Continental government's funds. To ensure proper and efficient handling of the growing national debt in
819-494: The department; a Comptroller, an Auditor, a Treasurer, a Register, and an Assistant to the Secretary of the Treasury , which assistant shall be appointed by the said Secretary. Alexander Hamilton took the oath of office as the first secretary of the treasury on September 11, 1789. Hamilton had served as George Washington 's aide-de-camp during the American Revolutionary War and was influential in
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#1732772905447858-403: The face of weak economic and political ties between the colonies, the Congress, on February 17, 1776, designated a committee of five to superintend the treasury, settle accounts , and report periodically to the Congress. On April 1, a Treasury Office of Accounts, consisting of an auditor general and clerks , was established to facilitate the settlement of claims and to keep the public accounts for
897-534: The first Black woman to be employed by the Treasury Department and by the Federal government of the United States when Senator Henry Wilson , James G. Blaine and others advocated for her hiring as a janitor under Secretary of the Treasury Francis Spinner . She was paid fifteen dollars per month. In 1862, she prevented a major theft from the department of more than $ 200,000 when she came across
936-413: The formulation of policy and management of the department as a whole, while the operating bureaus carry out the specific operations assigned to the department. The Treasury Department has authorized a budget for Fiscal Year 2024 of $ 16.5 billion. The budget authorization is broken down as follows: In the latest Center for Effective Government analysis of the fifteen federal agencies that receive
975-574: The government of the United Colonies. With the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, the newborn republic as a sovereign nation was able to secure loans from abroad. Despite the infusion of foreign and domestic loans, the united colonies were unable to establish a well-organized agency for financial administration. Michael Hillegas was first called Treasurer of the United States on May 14, 1777. The Treasury Office
1014-498: The most Freedom of Information Act FOIA requests, published in 2015 (using 2012 and 2013 data, the most recent years available), the treasury failed to earn a satisfactory overall grade. United States Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury , and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of
1053-492: The officeholder is nominated by the president of the United States, and, following a confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Finance , will take the office if confirmed by the majority of the full United States Senate . The secretary of state , the secretary of the treasury, the secretary of defense , and the attorney general are generally regarded as the four most important Cabinet officials, due to
1092-470: The president of the United States, and, following a confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Finance , is confirmed by the United States Senate . Federalist (4) Democratic-Republican (4) Democratic (30) Whig (5) Republican (34) Independent (1) Status The secretary of
1131-1018: The proposed act specified On January 27, 2009, in the Rayburn House Office Building, Congressman Fattah convened a Congressional Roundtable, "Igniting Public Service and Securing College Access: the American Opportunity Tax Credit, H.R. 106". The panel was keynoted by Former Senator Harris Wofford and included Karen Kaskey ( PennSERVE ), Michelle Cooper ( Institute for Higher Education Policy ), David Baime ( American Association of Community Colleges ), Quyen (Arana) Wickham ( K20 Center , University of Oklahoma ), and Reginald Williams ( Benjamin Banneker Academic High School ). The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 ( Pub. L. 111–312 (text) (PDF) , 124 Stat. 3296, H.R. 4853 ),
1170-616: The public debt. The Secretary oversees the activities of the Department in carrying out its major law enforcement responsibilities; in serving as the financial agent for the United States Government ; and in manufacturing coins and currency . The Chief Financial Officer of the government, the Secretary serves as Chairman Pro Tempore of the President's Economic Policy Council, Chairman of the Boards and Managing Trustee of
1209-501: The recommendation of Robert Morris , Washington's first choice for the position, who had declined the appointment. Hamilton established the nation's early financial system and for several years was a major presence in Washington's administration . The department is customarily referred to as "Treasury", solely, without any preceding article – a transitional remnant from British to American English . Hamilton's portrait appears on
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1248-409: The singular "Treasury", without any preceding article , as a remnant of the country's transition from British to American English . For example, the department notes its guiding purpose as "Treasury's mission" instead of "the Treasury's mission." Robert Morris was designated Superintendent of Finance in 1781 and restored stability to the nation's finances. Morris, a wealthy colonial merchant ,
1287-408: The size and importance of their respective departments. The current secretary of the treasury is Janet Yellen , who is the first woman to hold the office. The Secretary is responsible for formulating and recommending domestic and international financial, economic, and tax policy, participating in the formulation of broad fiscal policies that have general significance for the economy, and managing
1326-531: The treasury is fifth in the presidential line of succession , following the secretary of state and preceding the secretary of defense . On August 16, 2016, President Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13735, which changed the order of succession for filling the Treasury Secretary's role when necessary. At any time when the secretary and the deputy secretary of the treasury have both died, resigned, or cannot serve as secretary for other reasons,
1365-558: Was carried out by the Office of Standard Weights and Measures under the auspices of the Treasury Department. After 1901, that responsibility was assigned to the agency that subsequently became known as the National Institute of Standards and Technology . The Department of the Treasury is organized into two major components: the departmental offices and the operating bureaus. The departmental offices are primarily responsible for
1404-585: Was nicknamed "the financier" because of his reputation for procuring funds or goods on a moment's notice. His staff included a comptroller , a treasurer , a register , and auditors , who managed the country's finances through 1784, when Morris resigned because of ill health. The treasury board, consisting of three commissioners, continued to oversee the finances of the confederation of former colonies until September 1789. The First United States Congress convened in New York City on March 4, 1789, marking
1443-480: Was passed by the United States Congress on December 16, 2010 and signed into law by President Barack Obama on December 17, 2010. Among other things, the bill extends the American Opportunity Tax Credit for tax years 2011 and 2012. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 made the American Opportunity Tax Credit permanent. The Student and Family Tax Simplification Act (H.R. 3393; 113th Congress) ,
1482-412: Was reorganized three times between 1778 and 1781. The $ 241.5 million in paper Continental bills devalued rapidly. By May 1781, the dollar collapsed at a rate of from 500 to 1000 to 1 against hard currency . Protests against the worthless money swept the colonies, giving rise to the expression " not worth a Continental ". The office has, since the late 18th century, been customarily referred to as
1521-568: Was there a tangible basis for securing funds from foreign investors or governments. The delegates resolved to issue paper money in the form of bills of credit , promising redemption in coin on faith in the revolutionary cause. On June 22, 1775, only a few days after the Battle of Bunker Hill , the Continental Congress issued $ 2 million in bills; on July 25, 28 citizens of Philadelphia were employed by Congress to sign and number
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